Feeling Discomfort from Prolonged Sitting at Home or Lying Down? 6 Exercises to Relieve ‘Home Soreness’
Prolonged sitting at home or lying down can sometimes cause discomfort in the thoracic spine and muscle soreness. Recommended by the National Sports Bureau, Professor Yan Bing from North China University of Petroleum brought 6 exercises to alleviate your ‘home soreness’.
Photo by Feng Chenqing, illustration by TF017
1. Chest Expansion Breathing Exercise
Prepare a balloon in your mouth, inhale with your nose, exhale with your mouth, hold your breath for five seconds after exhaling, and then perform a new breath. Do this breathing 5 times for one set, and do 3 sets. Breathing training can relieve the oppression of the thoracic spine, open the rib cage, and flex the thoracic spine, and alleviate neck discomfort.
2. Thoracic Spine Exercise 1
Kneel on a yoga mat, with your left elbow resting on the ground and your right elbow resting against your waist, turn your head and shoulders to look at the ceiling, paying attention to keeping your left shoulder still, do 5 to 10 times, repeat the movement in the opposite direction.
3. Thoracic Spine Exercise 2
Lie flat on a yoga mat, with your left leg placed outside the knee of your right leg, extend your arms, let your left arm move in a semicircle from right to left along your head, try to make your thumb and left knee touch the ground, do 5 to 10 times, repeat the movement in the opposite direction. During this movement, your eyes and neck should follow the movement of your palm.
4. Relax the Quadriceps Muscle on the Front Side
Lie face down on a yoga mat, place a foam roller under the front side of your thighs, roll the roller forward and backward to find the point where the muscles are sore, and repeatedly roll and slightly bend your knees until the sore muscles are relaxed. If you don’t have a foam roller at home, you can use a bottle wrapped in towel as a substitute.
5. Improve the Weakness of the Hamstring Muscle on the Back Side
Lie flat on a yoga mat, bend your knees and hook your feet towards your hips, with your feet exerting force towards your hips without moving, during the exertion process, slowly suspend your hips, pay attention to the exertion of your hamstring muscle on the back side, 5 to 10 times for one set, do 3 sets. The distance of your feet from your hips in this movement is getting harder as your ability increases.
6. Shoulder Joint Flexibility Training
Kneel on a yoga mat, with your left hand clenched and placed on your forehead, extend your right arm to its maximum extent, turn your palm over and slightly raise your arm, do 5 to 10 times, repeat the movement in the opposite direction.
